An Accidental Purchase

Back in December, when I wrote the first post on the manual 993 C2, I did have my heart set on “developing” the car into a RS Clubsport.

The paint on the car was a little scruffy and needed attention. If the car needed paint, why not get the RSCS body kit, and the painter can do both? I researched different suppliers of body kits and found out who supplied the kits that would fit it best. My thinking was… I’ll just wait until we start to pull apart the car before I commit to the kit purchase.

After having travelled 236,000 km, I did expect that many things on the 993 would need to be replaced or refurbished. The engine had had minimal work done and despite no leaks, there was no evidence of a previous rebuild. There was the odd misfire and it desperately needed a major service. (What an excuse for a full teardown and rebuild to 3.8lt RS spec!) The gearbox was notchy in 2nd, 3rd and 4th and the clutch needed to be replaced (I’m thinking that we rebuild the ‘box and replace the flywheel and clutch with a lightweight RS job!) Two of the shocks were leaking and they needed replacing. (Yep, what a great excuse for an upgrade!) From top to bottom, there was a large list of minor things that needed replacement, adjusting or just a little TLC. Night after night, I’d research the RSCS version of everything that needed work!
Early in January, my plans began to unravel!

The first challenge to my plans revealed itself one Thursday, after Stuart dropped the motor and began to pull it apart. I popped into NINEAUTO after work and found Stuart with most of the engine apart. “How’s it looking?” I asked expecting to hear that the engine was tired and worn. “Hmmm” Stuart replied. “I don’t think this engine has been fully apart before, and everything looks great. If I were you, I’d replace the basic wear parts, get the top end reconditioned and put it back together. The pistons and barrels don’t need replacing.”

The second challenge and turning point occurred after I shipped the car off to the guys at Skunkwerks for the painting. After the car had been stripped, I got a call from Rohan who informed me that despite the tired paintwork, he couldn’t find anywhere the car had had an accident…even a minor one! The car had a few scratches and the odd dent but nothing to suggest even a carpark incident! “This car is way too good to be turned into a race car!” he said.
That night after much thought and a few red wines, I decided to follow the expert’s advice and restore the car back to original. The following day I gave the guys the go ahead to begin the restoration process.

Fast forward 4 months, and the car is back from Skunkwerks and the engine has been reconditioned and ready to be refitted. The paint job the team at Skunkwerks did is amazing and has brought the exterior to showroom!
Now for the gearbox, clutch, interior and long list of minor jobs. On my next post, I’ll include the list of what we’ve changed and refurbed in the resto process.

Cheers, Tim

Two months ago, I caught up with Andrew, one of the active members of Porsche Club of Victoria about helping him to sell his 1994 993 C2 manual coupe. The car had been on the market for quite a number of months and Andrew had suffered lots of tyre kickers with no genuine offers. We talked about sprucing up the car, resealing the motor and attending to the tired gearbox synchro’s, but Andrew had had enough and was keen to move on to a more modern 911.

I must admit I hadn’t considered buying the car until Andrew put me on the spot and asked me if I was interested. I’ve always loved the 993, and after seeking approval from the Finance and Entertainment Director (namely my wife Max), I was ok’d to make the purchase. Andrew and I quickly reached an amicable price and the deal was done! That night I couldn’t wait for the kids to go to bed so I could search Google images for how I could personalise my new 993. About 1am, I trundled off to bed with a rough plan to build an RSCS clone.

Given the 911’s age and km (all 236k of them), the motor and gearbox needed immediate attention. I probably could have given the motor a service and ran the car for a couple of months to get a feel for it, but the gearbox was crunchy suggesting a new clutch and synchro’s were badly needed. I parked the car in the workshop and starting planning the RSCS conversion.

Whenever you’re seeking the look and essence of a rare 911, the question is always how far do you go? A basic bolt on body kit can give the RSCS exterior look (paint colours aside) and interior door cards and rear seat delete carpets can add to the vibe. Do you go the full suspension, brakes, 3.8lt motor, gearbox mods etc? With my heart set on the RSCS, I began speaking with suppliers about possible parts and upgrades.

Next post: Stuart drops the motor and gearbox, and we ‘workshop’ what we’re going to upgrade and update!

By Tim Rout